Project Publicity || l.h

Chapter 16// Precedent

I'M SORRY I didn't update Friday when I was supposed to.... K

(BTW LUKE'S MOM'S NAME IS JULIA FOR A REASON. IK HER REAL NAME IS LIZ PLZ)

I take the damned baby out of the bag, and rip the batteries out of it's ass. To my relief, it stops crying immediately. Across the room, Mr. Lowry makes a strangled sound of despair. "Miss Thornton!" He gasps in his heavy British accent. "I would've given you an F for child abuse...." he trails off. "But it did shut the sound off, so I'll let it pass."

Beside me, Luke turns on his charm. "Jade, I need you for tomorrow's meet up. And my gig next week," he says desperately.

"Oh, so the only reason you're apologizing is because you need me as your little good luck charm?"

"No, of course not," Luke replies. Lowering his voice, he looks around to make sure no one is listening. "I'm sorry. I was cocky. I was a dick." Slowly, he seems to realize how big my grudge is. Because when someone I trust purposely attacks a weak spot of mine, I take it as full offence.

Luke observes me closely, like an insect under a microscope. "How'd you feel if I took you out tonight, bought you some dinner or something?"

I give him the kind of look I give Cam when I catch him picking his nose. He blushes.

"P-point is," He says quickly, as if trying to cover up the rejection. "I need you right now, and you need me. Let's forget about everything else, and just complete a goal, okay? It's what we signed up for." Just one goal. No fights or emotion attachment. He is basically suggesting that no matter how upset I am at him, or we end up hating each other, it doesn't matter. All we need is to finish what we started.

"Are you obsessed?" I ask, and Luke looks at me. "Are you obsessed with the 'goal', about your fame, about the girls, already?"

"Are you on my side or not?" He asks impatiently, completely ignoring my question. For a second there, he sounds like Ash.

Ashton. Just remember Ashton and what he's done to you and those pathetic girls he uses as mere sex objects. A douche. A jerk. You hate him. You want revenge.

I want revenge.

I pick the baby up and shove it back in Luke's bag, batteries attached. "Pick me up at six," I tell him. And Luke grins.

........

"Hey, mom. I'm home," I call out, walking into the house. The smell of chocolate chip cookies hit me right as I take the first whiff.

"Mom, did you take your pills?"

My mother is focused on frosting another cookie to perfection, and gives me a distracted nod. "Yes, honey."

"Did you send Cam to soccer?"

"Yes, honey," she says cheerfully.

"Well, you seem happy."

"I am, honey."

I turn around, about to walk upstairs. "Oh, Jade!" My mother says, wiping her hands on her apron. "I have something to show you!"

She opens the cupboard where she keeps the dishes, and pulls out a thick photo album. I don't even question why it's in there.

She shows me a page in the album, a little rectangle of a photo framed at the very top.

"Look, your Kindergarten photo." She gushes.

The picture was taken at the end of the year, when we had our annual Fun Fair. There had been clowns, balloon animals, and bouncy castles for us kids to enjoy. Around the smiling children were some parent volunteers.